The School of Chemical Sciences’ Career Services office currently provides alumni with free access to job postings through Handshake @ Illinois. Additionally, we provide career advising and access to our resource center for alumni. Many campus career fairs are also open to alumni.
The Career Services office can review your résumé/CV, cover letter, or other supporting application documents for academic or industrial positions. You may set up/reactivate your account through the Handshake @ Illinois system and request an appointment time there. Finally, you can also submit your documents for critique via e-mail to Patricia Simpson at plblum@illinois.edu .
The American Chemical Society is another great resource for experienced alumni who are members. They provide career transition assistance through Personal Career Consultants, access to additional job postings and the ACS Career Fair, and a number of workshops. In addition, they offer online resources that are open to anyone via their website.
Note: ACS members in good standing (non-student members with at least 1 year paid membership) may request a dues waiver if they are or become unemployed and are seeking full-time employment. The request for this waiver must be received in writing – either using the membership renewal form (mark Box #8 – Unemployed Member dues waiver) or by sending the request via email to service@acs.org.
Academic, Industrial, and Postdoctoral positions are listed in the Handshake @ Illinois recruiting system.
In some situations, employers are willing to interview candidates who have graduated previously and will state that on the job posting associated with the interview schedule. Otherwise, alumni can participate in on-campus interviews if they are manually added to an employer’s interview schedule by the employer/recruiter through contact at a career fair, company presentation, networking event, or by other direct request. Most positions for which recruiters seek an immediate hire or recent graduate are posted in Handshake @ Illinois for alumni to apply to directly, rather than through on-campus interviews.
Yes, recent alumni who live locally or who have plans to visit campus can prearrange a consultation appointment through your Handshake @ Illinois account. Phone or Zoom appointments can also be scheduled through that system.
For more experienced alumni, we suggest you visit the National Career Development Association to find a practitioner who can help meet your specific needs.
In addition, the American Chemical Society has great resources for members as well.
Are you interested in having your profile featured on the SCS Career Services or other webpages, serving as a mentor for current students, or connecting with the University in another way? Let us know by completing our Alumni Profiles and Mentors form.